Lesson 1: Prior Knowledge

Lesson Plan
Day: 1	Class/Subject: English ENG3U		Topic: Introduction to The Rez Sisters by Thomson Highway Part 1
Topic and focus of this lesson: To introduce the Unit: Exploration of Literary Connections: Canadian Aboriginal Literature		Broad goals to which this lesson contributes: The development of literacy, communication and critical thinking skills.
Specific outcomes for this lesson: To diagnose students' knowledge related to the Aboriginal issue To examine the existing knowledge and sources of it.
Materials: KWL charts, The play: Thomson Highway,The Rez Sisters
Agenda: Class discussion: What do the students know about Aboriginal people of Canada Identifying the sources of students' knowledge about Aboriginal people: school knowledge, media, personal knowledge, common knowledge/stereotypes (metacognition) Filling the chart: Know-Want to know-Learned Presenting the outline of the Unit. Caution to students: gravity of some of the issues in the play and the foul language in the play. Students sign-up for reading parts of the play
Key questions: What do you know about the Aboriginal People? Where do they live? What do they do? What are the characteristics of the Native culture? How Native people are the same and how they are different than non-Native? Do you know any of the works of literature or movies about Natives? Do you know any works of literature written by a Native writer? Do you know any stories told or written from the Native perspective?
Homework: Media Research Report: Find and record any information about contemporary issues related to the Aboriginal communities or culture ( a short summary , no longer than a half a page report) Due: next day

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Lesson 2:Play’s & Playwright’s Context

Lesson Plan 2
Topic: Introduction to Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters ( Part2)
Focus of this lesson: Exploration of Literary Connections: Canadian Aboriginal Literature
Broad goals to which this lesson contributes: Introduction to the play written by a Native Canadian writer
Specific outcomes for this lesson: To familiarize students with the author of the play.
: To understand the play's importance in the Canadian literature.
: To understand the characteristics of a play: elements of literary form
Materials: Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters
Press reviews of the staging of the play by David Krasner and by The Beat’s Robyn Israel)
Agenda:

1. Tomson Highway's biography (p. VI-IX)
2. Play's reviews from the press.
3. The play in the context of Canadian literature.
4. Aboriginal People in the Canadian multicultural context.
5. Multiculturalism among the Aboriginal People: First Nations, Metis, Inuit (diversity of languages and cultures)
6. Reading of the play: Production Notes, Cast of Characters, Act 1 (up to pg 9)

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Lesson 3: Oral Tradition

Lesson Plan 3
Focus of this lesson: The importance of oral storytelling
Broad goals to which this lesson contributes:Oral Communication: Listening to Understand
: Speaking to Communicate
Specific outcomes for this lesson: OC 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.7, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6
Materials: The Community Circle hand-out
Chief Dan George’s speech: Lament for Confederation
Agenda:

1. Circle talk (the handout in the appendixes and brief instruction).
2. Ice breaker activity (that relies on memory without use of pen & paper) i.e. While using at least 5 directional changes, in pairs with preferably you don’t sit near or know that well, you will tell it each how you get to school. Each will be responsible for the retelling of their partners’ directions to the class. Students should see how difficulty the task is.
3. Oral storytelling vs. written traditions
4. Story vs. History
5. Sharing personal stories (whatever each students chooses to talk about)
6. Cultural importance of oral traditions: origins of religious texts, unwritten but well known codes of behaviour, fairy tales, famous speeches and orators (Chief Dan George's Lament for Confederation).

Lesson Plan 3 handout

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Lesson 4:Geography & Multiculturalism

Lesson Plan 4
Topic and focus of this lesson: Importance of the land in Aboriginal culture; Geographical context of the play's action.
Broad goals to which this lesson contributes: Locating an element of the play: physical location of the play.
Specific outcomes for this lesson: Knowledge and understanding of the importance of the physical location of action in the literary work.
Materials: The play; Thomas King’s Borders (short story); map of Aboriginal nations throughout the North American continent
Agenda:

1. Reading of the short story Borders by Thomas King
2. Discussion: Importance of the land integrity / artificiality of the borders (indigenous people's perspective)
3. Location of the play's action: the reservation.

Key questions:

1. What are the signs of the mother's attachment to the place in which she lives?
2. Why did the mother refuse to disclose her Canadian citizenship?
3. Should the border patrol let her cross the border?
4. In your opinion, why did the authorities let them cross the border?
5. Is the individual action, like the one in the novel, important to the community/society?

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Lesson 5 : Show It If You Know It !

Topic and focus of this lesson: Reading for meaning. Identifying the themes and topics of the play
Specific outcomes for this lesson: R and LS: 1.3, 1.6, 2.3
Materials: the play
Agenda:

1. Reading: A note on Nanabush, and p.9-18 (group of 4 students reads to the class: 3 characters and the stage directions reader)
2. Significance of Nanabush (a central figure in Aboriginal mythology): any gender, trickster, and fluidity of the figure.
3. Short class discussion: themes of the play.
4. Group work: tableau of the themes from the play : gender, city vs. the rez, economics/money
5. Acting choices: short debriefing on why students chose to illustrate the themes in the particular way.

Evaluation (formative): Tableau will be evaluated by the teacher for correspondence between the visual representation and the play’s themes .

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Week Two

Week Three

Week Four